The present invention relates generally to the field of coating and marking tools, and in particular to a new and useful wide area applicator for coating fluids.
Various types of hand-held applicator devices have been devised for holding, dispensing and spreading liquids. These devices include fountain pens, ball point pens, felt tip pens, “magic” marker pens, paint pens, stain-remover pens, paint rollers, and spray cans, among others. Some of these fluid applicator devices are used for dispensing fluids such as inks, paints, dyes, polishes, chemicals, glues, lubricants, perfumes, leather treatments, glass treatments and sealants, and cleaning products.
The fluid applicator devices of the prior art have received wide acceptance due in great measure to the convenience of the devices. The fluid applicator devices of the prior art have the ability to hold varying quantities of applicator fluid, and the ability to supply applicator fluid from a fluid reservoir to an applicator tip at the discretion of the user. Fluid applicator devices can be adapted to dispense a wide variety of fluid and other flowing materials.
There are a number of fluid applicator devices currently known that outwardly resemble “magic marker” type marker pens. In one common embodiment, applicator liquid flows to a fiber applicator tip only when the liquid applicator device is held upside down and the fiber applicator tip is depressed by a surface to be coated by the applicator fluid. This process, in some embodiments, resembles and is similar to writing on a flat surface using the tip of a magic marker. U.S. Patent Application 2011/0013966 by Ballott provides an example of a such a device, and includes a discussion of various liquid applicator designs. That application and its general discussion of liquid applicators are incorporated by reference herein by way of background.
Marker-pen type fluid applicators typically comprise a tube or a hollow body, which may be either rigid or made from a squeezable material. The tube or body is normally adapted both as a means for users to hold the applicator device, and as a reservoir of the fluid to be applied. Often the marker has a tip or nib that can be pushed inwards when the marker is pressed against a surface to be coated, the motion of the tip towards the reservoir body pushing open a valve that is typically biased in a closed position by a spring or other resilient means.
In many examples, these markers only dispense fluid when they are held tip-down, when the body holding the liquid is squeezed, and/or when the tip of the marker is pressed inwardly so as to open an internal valve releasing liquid. These markers often rely on gravity or pressure to allow fluid to pass into contact with a small nib or other application component. The nib or other application component is often acrylic, polyester, felt, or another porous application material.
Marker-type fluid applicators normally have small application surfaces, typically nibs ranging from 1-6 mm, and are not well adapted for coating larger surface areas. “Jumbo” markers are sold to cover somewhat wider areas, but such markers are still not well suited to evenly and quickly covering areas of, for example, several square feet. At the same time, “Jumbo” markers are also unsuited for small surfaces.
Means such as paint brushes and paint rollers can be used to cover larger surfaces with various liquids. These systems are not self-contained, however, and require a separate reservoir to hold the liquid. Paint brushes and paint rollers also require the extra step of repeatedly dipping the application surface in the liquid reservoir, and are prone to accidentally dripping liquids.
Spray cans and aerosol propellant systems are self-contained but are often imprecise, usually cannot be refilled by the consumer, and may create unpleasant and unhealthy fumes.
Thus, it is desirable to have a self-contained marker-pen type fluid dispenser that may be adapted to cover either very small areas, or areas of several square feet or more. Alternatively, an attachment that can be removably affixed to a variety of fluid dispensers, such as different marker-type dispensers, to increase the effective application surface area of the dispensers would be useful.